This news about the McCloud River just popped up in my inbox (from Curtis Knight, CalTrout):
I received word form the PG&E operators that, due to the high levels of rain over the past few days, PG&E operators will begin increasing the water release at McCloud Dam to Lower McCloud River early this afternoon and that the reservoir will be in spill conditions by this evening.
Additional information about the estimated duration and magnitude of the spill will be available later this afternoon. I will send an update as more information is available.
Yow. When the McCloud spills, it gets unfishable pretty quickly.
Planning to fish it this weekend? We’ll wait and see if you will…
See you being swept down on the McCloud, Tom Chandler.
UPDATE: (May 6, 4pm) From CalTrout – “They are not spilling over the spillway right now. Right now (2:50 pm) flows from the dam are 160 cfs, at Ah-Di-Na are 621 and into Shasta is 2,500 cfs”
{ 17 comments… read them below or add one }
Thanks for the info Tom. Loon(Quote)
Almost makes me feel better to know that while I’m not fishing the McCloud, no one else is either. I realize that makes me a bad person.
B- Bjorn(Quote)
Is this normal runoff or are they not diverting to Iron Canyon again? Mike(Quote)
I was there Friday-Sunday, and while it rained continuously and the water silted up by Sunday, I had the river to myself. KJE(Quote)
Agreed. (bastard)
Pretty sure the reservoir’s about to begin spilling (the Upper McCloud was going big guns last weekend), so I gather it’s a simple matter of more inflow than outflow. Tom Chandler(Quote)
You were fishing above Hawken’s Creek?
Those planning to fish the McCloud this weekend should stay tuned. Tom Chandler(Quote)
I did not know that clean water flowing into more clean water was considered a “spill.”
Whew…when I saw the title of this post over at Singlebarbed I thought that maybe the Little Stinking had spilled into your pristine waters. A. Wannabe Travelwriter(Quote)
Sounds familiar. We’ve had flooding problems here in Tennessee and I fear our tailwaters will be out of commision for months at this rate… David Knapp(Quote)
Yea I know what you mean David…it’s starting to depress me to even check the generation schedules at this point. Mid TN Lee(Quote)
Spillway. It’s all clean water up here, the question is how much of it is too much?
Yeah, but you guys still have the Smokies, right? Don’t they clear up just a day or two after the rain stops?
We fly fishermen are never happy. Too little is a drought, to much is a disaster. Tom Chandler(Quote)
UPDATE (May 6, 4pm) From CalTrout: “They are not spilling over the spillway right now. Right now (2:50 pm) flows from the dam are 160 cfs, at Ah-Di-Na are 621 and into Shasta is 2,500 cfs”
That ain’t bad, provided you’re fishing the stretch between Hawkens and the damn. Tom Chandler(Quote)
Good info…..CFS-wise — what is a good yardstick for fishable flows and how do you find out what the CFS are….is there a website Matt(Quote)
Matt, on the links page of the Underground you’ll find links to Upper Sac flows, McCloud flows, and a link to all the gauges in the state.
No need to thank me, though a candy bar would be nice. Tom Chandler(Quote)
“Yeah, but you guys still have the Smokies, right? Don’t they clear up just a day or two after the rain stops? ”
Hah yea you are right, I need to quit being so negative. I actually persuaded my girlfriend how much fun a Smokey’s weekend trip would be last night. So I’ll be heading that way in the next couple of weeks to do some fishing. Mid TN Lee(Quote)
So, is Jack Trout up the spout? Still front and center on his website:
**UPPER SAC & McCLOUD RIVER ARE BLOWN OUT – DON’T GO – May 5th, 2009
Can you update the update? Thanks. Burglar Bill(Quote)
Still real high on both, though the Lower McCloud offers some potential in one short stretch.
Craig Nielsen writes a good fishing report: http://www.shastatrout.com/fishing-reports/
If I were jonesing to fish this weekend? I’d consider the Pit. Tom Chandler(Quote)
Tom:
Thanks for the link to the ShastaTrout fishing report. I’ll be likely be updating the report on Saturday, still jet lagged from a trip to Alaska and guiding each day this week. I was on Hat Creek and the Pit today, Hat Creek was fair in the afternoon, only a few big bugs taking flight. Had an epic hatch on the Pit though it was a bit crowded on Pit 3. Craig Nielsen(Quote)